


Wooing a Light Side

by ShadeCrawler



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Dragon Witch!Pride, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-18
Updated: 2019-12-17
Packaged: 2021-02-12 22:02:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21483547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadeCrawler/pseuds/ShadeCrawler
Summary: Summary: Virgil gets captured by Pride, the fearsome Dragon Witch of the Mindscape. Only he may not be as fearsome as everyone thinks.Notes: Okay, so, this was created before Remus was revealed and I used Pride. This was also created before Virgil was officially revealed as a Dark Side so I have him as a Light Side here. I still wanted to post this though and I really hope that you all like it.Warnings: Pre-AA, mentions of Deceit.
Relationships: Pride Sanders/Virgil Sanders
Comments: 42
Kudos: 150





	1. Chapter 1

Virgil sighed and curled tightly in on himself, looking around the room he had been locked in. The room was dark but cozy, with a large bed pressed up against the wall and a fireplace roaring across from it. There was a plushy loveseat by the fireplace and a chessboard in front of it. In any other circumstance, Virgil would be glad to be in a place like this! It was just so beautiful!

But, Virgil wasn’t here by choice. He was a prisoner in Pride, otherwise known as the Dragon Witch’s castle.

It had been a total accident that he was here in the first place. The others had ventured into Roman’s realm for a nice picnic with, as Roman had spat, “no Anxiety around to ruin everything.”

Virgil had decided to roam through the Subconscious checking for any signs of Dark Sides sneaking around the Light Side. It was his job and Virgil took it very seriously. He had meant to go straight back to his room afterward to avoid meeting the others on their way back and having to see their bright smiles and the grass stains on their clothes from running around and having so much fun with each other as a family that Virgil wasn’t a part of.

But, he had forgotten one thing. The Subconscious was connected to the Imagination. Roman’s realm. One wrong step sent you right into the Imagination if you weren’t careful and Virgil had been so focused on checking for threats that he hadn’t noticed something was different until he realized that there were stone walls around him now instead of the grey wall of mist of the Subconscious.

It had taken only a few seconds of him stretching out his senses to realize that he was in the Imagination now. Now, that normally wouldn’t be so bad. Virgil had accidentally gone into all of the other’s realms before. Hell, he knew the Imagination so well that he could have sneaked out faster than Princey could recite one of those poems he liked so much. He might not have been able to sink out directly to his room since it was Roman’s realm but that never stopped him before. He knew other ways.

But he hadn’t factored in one thing. The thought that had sent him straight into the subconscious, was one about the Dragon Witch. A name that Roman had come out with for the Side that also had power over the Imagination, though not as much as the Creative side.

Virgil had not taken the discovery well. He had taken being captured by small dragons that came up to his knees and knowing that no one would come for him even worse.

The Dragons had brought him to the cushy room and had locked him in. Virgil had begged them to let him go but all they said, in a low and raspy voice, that the King had ordered for him to be kept in comfort until he himself could speak to Virgil.

Virgil sniffed and hugged one of the pillows to his chest. His hoodie was wet from the fog of the Subconscious and it had been sticking to his skin so he had taken it off and laid it out to dry in front of the fireplace, leaving him in his jeans, that had dried quickly, and a black long-sleeved shirt.

He flopped down on his side with his back to the door and buried his head in his pillow. Tears started to flood his eyes and Virgil bit his lip to stop them from flooding. He really wanted to believe that the other Light Sides would come to save him. That Roman would burst in on a white horse with his sword out to slay the Dragon Witch. That Logan would come to use his smarts to navigate the castle in their escape. That Patton would pull him into a tight hug and assure him that everything was going to be okay.

But Virgil wasn’t a part of their family. Virgil was Anxiety and how many times had they wished that he would disappear? As far as they were probably concerned, Virgil was right where he should be.

Virgil had been so many lost in thought that he didn’t notice the creaking of the door to his room cell or notice the eyes watching him. His eyes had actually just started to close when the sound of a hand closing the door startled him. He yelped and jerked up. Virgil whirled around to see him, Pride. The Dragon Witch.

Pride was looking at him with intrigued blood-red eyes. Like all of the Sides, he resembled Thomas but with differences. Pride’s eyes were red with brown hair hanging in front of them. He was dressed in black robes with red accents and was about 6 foot, a whole foot taller than Virgil. But, the things that drew Virgil’s gaze was the dull blue horns on his head and the same coloured tail that was peeking out of his robes.

Virgil’s breath hitched and he tangled his hands in the sheets of the bed. He slouched and ducked his head, not wanting to meet Pride’s eyes. He flinched when footsteps started to echo closer to him and his hands started to shake a little. Pride stopped right at the edge of his bed and studied Virgil intently. Virgil’s eyes flicked up and then it was like he couldn’t look away.

“So,” Pride said, “you are Anxiety.” His voice was smooth and curious and it only served to make Virgil’s nerves spike.

Virgil swallowed and nodded, frozen with fear. It didn’t escape his notice though that Pride didn’t ask for his name or offer his own.

Pride hummed and his tail flicked back and forth. “I see. And, what is a Light Side doing in my castle?” His voice got a little more dangerous. “Did Creativity send you, little lamb? Did he send you to cause trouble in my castle?”

“No,” Virgil whispered, unable to speak any louder. “N-no. He doesn’t know I’m h-here. Roman doesn’t let me in the Imagination. It was an, an accident.”

Pride’s eyebrows shot up. “An accident? Is that what happened, little one?” He raised a hand to his chin and Virgil got a good look at the sharp red nails that looked a little like talons. “I fail to see how this is an accident. Explain it to me.”

Virgil sat up straighter, pulling his knees up to his chest in an attempt to comfort himself. He was not in a position to not answer a simple question just because he was terrified scared. “I was checking out the boundaries of the Light Side,” he muttered, “to make sure that Deceit wasn’t sneaking around again.”

Virgil had expected a lot of things. He had expected more questions or maybe even torture for getting in the way of a Dark Side. What he didn’t expect was a grin to stretch across Pride’s face.

“You’re the little Side whose been giving Deceit so much trouble? Shooing him away from the boundaries?” Pride asked. He smiled wider when Virgil nodded shyly and Pride plopped down on the bed, keeping plenty of space between the two of them. “With the way Deceit’s been grumbling, I would’ve thought you would a lot taller. More muscle too. Maybe with a big sword like the one Prince Pompous has.”

The nickname for Roman made a startled snort burst out of Virgil and he quickly held a hand up to hide his smile. For a brief moment, he had forgotten that he was Pride’s prisoner.

Pride huffed out a little laugh and he shook his head. “I simply can’t believe that a little Side like you have been defending the Light Side so well.” Pride quickly held up his hands in defence. “Not that I would ever attack the Light Side. The only one who ever does that is Deceit and even he has no plans to truly attack it. He just likes to cause some mischief.”

“Yeah, well,” Virgil shrugged and glanced away, “I’m quick. Quicker than that snake.”

That answer sent Pride into a laughing fit, absolutely startling Virgil out of his skin. Pride threw his head back and clapped his hands on his knees and howled with laughter. Virgil stared at Pride in shock. Pride’s horns were practically quivering with the amount of laughing Pride was doing.

It took about a minute but Pride finally stopped laughing and looked directly at Virgil. Virgil’s breath caught. Before he had only been only to catch a glimpse of the other Side’s face but now he could make out every single detail, including the dark red lipstick that Pride had used on himself.

Pride must’ve noticed his, rather obvious, staring because he leaned a little closer. “So, Why weren’t you with the other Light Sides on their little bonding day?” He asked with a little smirk. “Why would they allow someone as precious as you out of their sight for even a moment?”

Pride’s words might’ve been meant as light and teasing, but all it did was remind Virgil just exactly how much the other Light Sides actually liked him and he looked away, biting his lip. Pride frowned and moved to try and catch Virgil’s eyes. “Little lamb?”

Virgil shook his head once and his hands curled into fists. He kept his gaze down on the bedspread and didn’t speak.

Pride waited for an answer and sighed dramatically when he didn’t get one. “Very well, little Anxiety. You may stay here for tonight and then you can be on your way tomorrow.” Virgil finally looked up at him.

“But,” Virgil protested, “what if Roman finds out I’m here? I’m not allowed in the Imagination!”

But, his protests were waved away by well-manicured hands. “Oh, don’t you worry about that,” Pride said with a smirk. “Creativity may have more power over the Imagination but the Imagination is big and he stretches his power far. I prefer to keep my powers in my land. He won’t know a thing, I promise you.”

Those last words about no one knowing he was here sent Virgil’s heart pumping a little but he managed to take a deep breath. ‘Pride said I can leave tomorrow,’ he reminded himself. ‘Wait until then before you start panicking.’ It didn’t help his peace of mind much but it did help him from panicking too much.

Pride stood up and smoothed down his robes. “Please feel free to explore my castle, though I’d suggest getting some sleep. You look positively exhausted, little lamb.”

Virgil looked over to the door suspiciously. He didn’t know how he thought about the door being open for anyone to be able to just walk on in when he was sleeping. The thought made his insides squirm.

Pride followed his gaze and he nodded. “There are guards from my own Kingsguard at your door. They will not enter your room unless they suspect you’re in danger. You are my guest here tonight.”

“How different is that from being a prisoner?” Virgil asked with a little edge in his voice.

The edge seemed to surprise Pride but also amuse him. He laughed and started making his way out of Virgil’s room “Ohhh, the little kitten has some claws. Don’t you worry. Being a guest in my castle is very different from being a prisoner. For one,” he looked back at Virgil, pausing at the door, “they’re not allowed to keep their comfort items.”

Virgil scrunched up his face. “Comfort items? What the heck are you talking about?”

Pride chuckled and pointed one of his fingers over at the hoodie drying out by the dryer. “I was told that you were clutching at your hoodie when you were brought here and hissed at one of my guards when they attempted to take it from you to dry it properly.” He left before Virgil could say anything back.

Virgil stared at the door for a few minutes and then slowly laid back down on the bed. He was sleeping here for the night, there was no way around that. Virgil would just have to be vigilant for now. No matter what Pride said and Virgil did think that he was telling the truth, that didn’t mean that his guards wouldn’t listen to him and not come into Virgil’s room to hurt him in the middle of the night.

Virgil pulled his pillow to his chest and took a deep breath. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

“Ser Anxiety!”

Virgil’s eyes snapped open and he looked over to the door where someone was knocking. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the pleasure of not remembering what happened the day before. Virgil remembered each second of what happened and it only helped him a little from freaking out about being in a strange room. As it was, Virgil could feel himself tensing up.

“Ser Anxiety!” The knocking came again and Virgil shied back into his bed. “I was told to wake you, Ser Anxiety! King Pride wishes to have a meal with you before you take your leave!”

Virgil swallowed and slipped out of bed. “Coming,” he called. Virgil winced when his voice cracked. Virgil’s hands were shaking a little so it took a few seconds for him to open up the door when he reached it.

On the other side was one of the Dragons from last night. They came up to Virgil’s knees but Virgil had no doubt that this tiny, baby blue Dragon could absolutely destroy him if he wanted.

The Dragon bowed. “Ser Anxiety, good morning. I use the pronouns he/him, sir.” He nudged the pile of clothes that had been laid between the two of them. “King Pride had clothes made for you to wear for your journey. He’s asked for you to wear them to breakfast.”

Virgil’s stomach twisted and he glanced over to his now dried hoodie. The Dragon caught what he was looking at and he nudged the clothes again. “Lord Pride said that he would not be offended if you tied your hoodie around your waist or shoulders.”

Virgil let out a relieved breath and crouched down, scooping the pile of clothes in his arms. “Okay. Uh, thanks. I’ll be right out.”

The Dragon nodded and backed up. He turned his back to Virgil and sat down, seemingly prepared to wait for him. Virgil closed the doors and sighed. Okay, this was almost over. Just one breakfast with a Dark Side and it’d be done.

He changed into his new clothes quickly and awkwardly left his jeans and T-Shirt folded on his bed. He glanced down at his new clothes and sighed in relief. It was not as flashy as Pride’s own outfit, thank God for that. He was wearing a pair of dark black pants and a royal purple, button-up shirt with black buttons. Pride had gifted him with a pair of comfortable black boots that somehow fit Virgil’s style perfectly.

Virgil picked up his black hoodie and tried it around his waist. He really wished that he had finished his new black and purple hoodie but it was still hanging half-finished in the closet in his room. So he had to deal with old reliable.

The Dragon was in the same spot Virgil had left him and glanced up when the door opened. “Follow me, please.”

Virgil followed the Dragon through the halls and tried his best to keep mental notes on which way they kept turning. But, the castle was so big that Virgil really didn’t think it made a difference. So he kept following his Dragon guard until he stopped outside large, ornate doors and bowed to Virgil again.

“Ser Anxiety,” he said, “King Pride is waiting inside for you. He is looking forward to dining with you.”

Virgil took a deep breath and curled his fingers in his hoodie, grounding himself. “Yeah, alright. Uh, thank you for bringing me here.” He nodded awkwardly to the Dragon and then pushed the doors open, stepping inside.

Pride was seated at the head of a long table that was probably meant more for feasts than a for a breakfast for two. There was only one other chair and it was the one closest to Pride. Virgil stood there for a moment, not knowing what to say, but then Pride caught notice of him and stood up beaming. Pride’s blue tail was swishing behind him happily.

“Ah, Anxiety!” He smiled at the Anxious Side and beckoned him closer. “Please join me for some food, my little lamb.”

Virgil walked up to him, digging his nails into his palms nervously. Pride watched him approach and frowned when he saw how stiffly Virgil was walking. “Is everything alright, little one?”

“Yeah,” Virgil mumbled. “I’m good.”

Pride’s eyes narrowed and he tilted his head. “Do I make you nervous, little kitten?”

The cutesy nickname made Virgil scowl and he glared at Pride. “Don’t call me that,” he snapped, seconds before thinking that snapping at the Side whose castle he was in with hundreds of Dragon guards was probably a bad idea.

Luckily, Pride just seemed amused by Virgil’s insolence and laughed. “Of course, little one. Sit down and join me for a meal. I had my servants make some breakfast for you before you head on your way.”

Virgil gulped and nodded. Pride drew out his chair from him and pushed it in when Virgil sat down. Virgil watched Pride sit down and his tail sliding through a little hole in the back.

Pride snapped his fingers and plates appeared in front of them both with two pieces of toast with a poached egg on each and a kipper next to them on the plates. “Please, dig in.”

Virgil picked up his fork and knife and cut through one of the eggs, watching it spill out onto the toast. Pride cut off a piece of kipper and ran it through some of the yolk from his own broken egg. “So, Anxiety, you seemed quite upset when I mentioned the Light Sides earlier. Care to share?”

Virgil’s answer was a blunt, “No.” He bit into his piece of toast and narrowed his eyes at Pride. “Why are you asking?”

Pride shrugged. “I am curious on why the other Light Sides would allow such a precious Side like you out into the Subconscious alone. And, Deceit has mentioned several times that you seem like an outcast in our dear Thomas’ videos.”

Virgil glared at him and just barely managed to hold back a hiss. “And so what about it?”

Pride took another bite of his kipper and smirked at Virgil. “Well, as I said, little Anxiety, I’m curious. You are such an essential part of Thomas and yet the others don’t seem to treasure you as such.”

Virgil’s heart started to pound and he swallowed. “What is this?” He hissed. “What, is this some sort of recruitment thing? You want me to betray the Light Sides?”

“First of all,” Pride cut in, pointing his fork full of kipper at Virgil, “I would never ask that of you. Not only would that do nothing for me, as I know you would refuse, but also I have no reason to do that.”

Virgil crossed his arms and huffed. “You’re Roman’s Dark Side though!”

Pride tilted his head and furrowed his eyebrows. “Um, yes? I fail to see what this has anything to do with this, Anxiety.”

“It has everything to do with this!” Virgil snapped, waving his arms around. “You’re a Dark Side! Roman’s always talking about how he fights against you to stop trying to take Thomas over, just like the other Dark Sides!”

Pride frowned and when he next spoke, his voice had a bit of an edge to it. “Really? And, why do you believe that we’re attempting to take Thomas over? Have we ever attacked the Light Side? Have we ever done anything terrible to Thomas besides doing our job?”

Virgil flinched back at the hard tone and held onto his fork a little tighter. “No,” he muttered.

Pride seemed to soften at Virgil’s flinch and sighed. “I apologize for snapping, little one. It should be assumed that you would have a negative view of us if you have to listen to his comments all the time.

Virgil crossed his arms. “If this is going to be a big speech about how I should come over and be a Dark Side then you can save it.”

Pride stared at Virgil for a few seconds before bursting into laughter. He rocked back in his chair and threw his head back, horns knocking against his seat. “You!? A, a Dark Side?”

Virgil watched him and, to his surprise, felt a stab of shame. So, Virgil wasn’t good enough to be a Light Side or a Dark Side. Well, there went any drop of self-esteem Virgil had left.

Pride chuckled and wiped at his eyes. “Apologies, my little one, for my outburst. It’s just the thought of you being a Dark Side is amusing to me.”

“Why?” Virgil asked, voice trembling.

Pride narrowed his eyes and smirked playfully. “Because you’re a Light Side. It’s who you are. There’s no changing that.”

Virgil crossed his arms, getting frustrated. He couldn’t count the number of times Roman had dismissed him as being a Light Side. Even Logan and Patton agreed that Virgil was just a little too dark to be one of them. But now sat Pride, an actual Dark Side, saying that he was, 100%, a Light Side. He didn’t know who to believe. “Okay, So, what’re the requirements for being a Dark Side?”

Pride shrugged. “To be frank with you, I’m not sure. I just know that you’re not one.” He looked Virgil over, giving him a sultry look. “You practically shine with light. It only adds to your beauty.”

A pink blush stained Virgil’s cheeks and he looked away. “Right,” he squeaked. “Um, yeah. So, I’m a Light Side. Got it.” Virgil put down his half-eaten piece of bread and stood up. He felt overwhelmed with all this information and Pride’s gentle teasing and flirting. “I, uh, should probably get back. Before someone notices I’m gone.”

Pride frown, obviously displeased with Virgil’s decision to leave, but nodded and stood him, his tail sliding out from the chair in a practiced motion. “Of course. I will show you to the exit. Do you require me to bring you to the main exit from the Imagination or will you be able to find it yourself?”

Virgil smirked and shook his head. A route out of the Imagination and into the Subconscious was already being drawn out in his head. “Just show me out of your Kingdom and I’ll be fine. I got my own way out.”

Pride returned Virgil’s smirk. “My, my. This little kitten just maybe slyer and sneakier than I once thought.” He took a step forward and Virgil’s breath hitched when Pride trailed his fingers down Virgil’s cheek, barely touching the skin. “I will have to keep that in mind for future meetings.”

Virgil swallowed and he felt his cheeks warm under Pride’s gentle touch. “Um, right. I should,” he jabbed his thumb over his shoulder nervously, “Right.”

Pride’s smirk turned a tad teasing and mischievous. “Yes, I suppose you do. Come, I’ll show you the way.” He walked toward the exit of the dining room and Virgil had no choice but to follow. He jumped a little when a hand landed on his shoulder. Virgil glances over at Pride only to see a cocked eyebrow. The message was clear. ‘Is this okay?’

Virgil nodded shortly and without another word, Pride led him down hallways until they left the castle and came to the drawbridge. Dragons were milling around the courtyard, giving Virgil curious looks but otherwise seemingly happy to leave his to their King. Pride stopped at waved at the drawbridge. “You will find that you’ll be able to sink out of the Imagination after you’ve walked north for around an hour or two. Are you sure that you don’t want me to take you to the main exit though? It can be very difficult to sink out of the Imagination. I could explain the situation to Creativity.”

The thought of facing Roman, Roman with his sharp sword and his hatred for Anxiety, made Virgil break out into a cold sweat. “No,” he said shortly. “I’ll be fine. Um,” he glanced down at his new clothes and looked back up at Pride with a raised eyebrow. “How can I return these to you?”

Pride smiled softly at him and shook his head. “No, little one. Think of those clothes as a gift. The outfit suits you. A true Prince.”

‘Roman’s the Prince,” Virgil thought, a touch bitter. But he didn’t voice his thoughts, instead of averting his gaze and shrugging. He could feel Pride’s assessing gaze on him and finally, he said, “Thanks for letting me stay the night.”

“It was no trouble. You’re a good guest. Perhaps,” Virgil could practically hear Pride’s smile widened, “you’d like to come again sometime. I’d love to properly show you my castle.”

Virgil looked up at smirked at that Prideful Side. “You usually take prisoners on a tour of your castle?”

Pride matched Virgil’s smirk with his own. “Well, you are a special case. I rarely have prisoners so intriguing that they somehow become my guests. Especially one that I’d like to see return.” His smirk softened. “Have a safe journey, Anxiety.”

“I’ll try my best.” Virgil went to leave but stopped, a thought nagging at him. He turned back to Pride and asked, “You never asked my name.”

It had become a common occurrence over with the Light Sides. Virgil couldn’t take one step without someone asking, or what often felt like demanding when he was going to tell them his name. Virgil felt like he was going to explode out of frustration. They all wanted his name, not because they liked him, but because they wanted “the full collection”. He could practically feel Thomas’ urge to learn the name of the scary, terrible, awful Anxiety. So it was certainly a change of pace to go a full day without someone breathing down his throat about it.

Pride raised an eyebrow at him. “You didn’t offer it. Nor did you ask mine. Quid Quo pro? My name for yours?”

Virgil immediately shook his head, hunching in on himself. “No way. Not fucking happening.” His name was the only thing he had that he was proud of. Virgil, Vigilance. It was his and he would be damn if he gave it up like it was like some sort of thing that people were entitled to. It didn’t matter if that meant that he wouldn’t get to know Pride’s name. It also meant the most hidden part of himself would be safe.

“Very well, Anxiety,” Pride said, giving a careless shrug. “Perhaps another time. For now,” he dipped into a bow, giving Virgil a playful smirk, “until we meet again.”

Virgil, cheeks burning, muttered, “Yeah, can’t wait,” before he ran over the drawbridge and down a valley, leaving Pride and his castle of Dragons behind him. But, he couldn’t outrun the memory of that playful smirk.

* * *

It took Virgil a little over two hours to leave Pride’s lands and he could feel the Mindscape open back up to him, giving him the wiggle room he needed to sink out from the Imagination back to the Subconscious. Sinking out to his room would’ve been difficult and Roman might’ve been able to feel the brief energy coming from Virgil’s part of the Mindscape. But, the Subconscious and the Imagination were connected and they mixed together often enough that Roman wouldn’t even question it.

Virgil sighed in relief when the grey fog of the Subconscious surrounded him, happy to be back in a place that he understood, even if it was an unpredictable place like the Subconscious. He gave himself a moment to rest before sinking down into his room. No need to go through the Commons and see the others eating lunch together or watching a movie, not even realizing that Virgil had disappeared for a full day. Virgil didn’t need that extra bit of heartbreak.

His room was the same as when he had left it. His bed was made and his computer waiting for him by his pillows, ready for another journey into Virgil’s favourite hellsite. His pyjamas were folded beside the computer and Virgil eagerly accepted their call, stripping out of the outfit Pride had given him and dumping it on the floor. Virgil pulled on his sweatpants and his oversized t-shirt, feeling any leftover tension just melting off of his shoulders. He sighed and went to crawl into his bed but paused, looking back down at the discarded outfit. Virgil hesitated before stooping down and quickly picking up the clothes, folding them and quickly shoving them under his bed. No need for them to be out in case someone saw them and asked where they came from.

Not that anyone ever came into Virgil’s room.

Virgil pulled his covers down and got into bed. He sighed and looked over to his computer, thinking of maybe working on his PJO fanfic, before grabbing it and placing it on his bedside table. It had been a long day and he didn’t think that he could handle Tumblr’s shitty new policies about text block limits right now.

He snapped his fingers and the lights turned off, his room pitch black except for the soft glow of the night light on the other side of his room. Virgil closed his eyes and tried his best to fall asleep.

But, all he could think of was those red eyes and that they had looked at him with more compassion and kindness than anyone else had ever had in Virgil’s life.

* * *

As expected, no one had noticed Virgil’s leave of absence.

Virgil walked down from his room the next morning, back in his comfortable black hoodie, and into the kitchen to be met with Logan’s wary stare. Somehow, even though Logan was nervous around him, he still managed to be condescending. “Ah, Anxiety. Finally decided to leave your room and be productive, hmm?”

Virgil didn’t answer beside a grunt, opening up the fridge and pulling out the plain, black water bottle he had stored in there. Logan watched him and sniffed. No doubt he thought Virgil was drinking blood or something equally as disgusting

Whatever. He could think whatever he wanted as long as he left Virgil and his honey and strawberry smoothie alone.

“Thomas has a meeting with his friends today,” Logan said, sitting down at the kitchen table. “I trust you won’t be present for it, correct?”

Virgil bit back a sigh and nodded. “Yep,” he muttered. He took a sip of his smoothie and then sneered at Logan. “I’ll be out of your hair, don’t worry. Wouldn’t want Anxiety ruining Thomas’ day.”

Logan nodded. He took a long sip of his coffee and then said dryly, “Quite right. I applaud you using your brain for something more than thinking of new ways of, as you said, ruining Thomas’ day.”

Virgil turned away to hide how his face tightened a little at that comment. He shrugged and went to leave the kitchen but was blocked by Roman stepping into the kitchen and leaning against the doorframe. Virgil’s eye twitched a little. He was so not in the mood for this today. “Mind moving, Princey?”

“Certainly, Robert Downer Jr. “ Roman smiled mockingly down at him. He moved and waved his arm with a flourish. “By all means.”

Virgil moved past him, ignoring the face Roman made as he left him and Logan alone. He pushed down the bitter feeling that came with him knowing that he’d be spending the rest of the day alone again. Just what he wanted, he tried to convince himself. He was probably going to need a day to fully get his mind back on straight after the day he had before.

Patton was going down the stairs and gave Virgil a happy little wave when he saw him. “Morning, Anxiety! I’m glad to see you today!”

Virgil mustered up a smile for the one Side in the Light Side that tolerated him. “Morning, Patton. Good day so far?”

“Yeppers!” Patton grinned. He grabbed Virgil’s hand and smiled hopefully. “I missed you yesterday. You’ll be staying outside with us today, right?”

Guilt settled in Virgil’s stomach and he shook his head. “Not today, Pat. Thomas got friends coming over and no need for any anxiety to get in the way of that, right?”

Patton sighed and shook his head. “I guess you’re right.” Virgil forced back tears at those words and his smile wavered a little. He moved up the stairs before Patton could see just how much trouble Virgil was having holding back tears. Not that he’d even think that something he said might hurt Virgil. Anxiety was a bad guy and bad guys didn’t get their feelings hurt.

“But you’ll come downstairs for dinner, right?”

Virgil could hear the tentative hope in Patton’s voice and he pushed down the urge to immediately agree to anything Patton asked of him. “I dunno, Patton,” he sighed, stopping at the top of the stairs. “I don’t think Logan or Princey would want me there, you know?”

Patton’s voice hardened. “I don’t care if they want you there or not! You’re my friend and I want you there. Please, Anxiety? Come to dinner?” There was a long pause. “Please?”

Virgil closed his eyes and found himself nodding. “Yeah, alright. I’ll be down for dinner tonight.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

* * *

Virgil did not end up going downstairs for dinner that night. And it was all because Virgil couldn’t handle a stupid argument between friends.

As much as Virgil had tried to remove himself from the situation with Thomas and his friends by staying up in his room all day, he was still a part of Thomas and he couldn’t just shut himself off. He would always be there with Thomas and it wasn’t his fault that when Thomas and Terence started arguing about something so damn stupid that Virgil couldn’t even remember what it was, Virgil started panicking.

“He’s going to leave you,” Virgil whispered, curled up on his bed with his hands tangled in his hair. “Oh fuck, he’s going to leave and then everyone else is going to leave and we’ll be all alone.”

The lights in Virgil’s room flicked and the shadows seemed to extend toward him. And it certainly didn’t help that Roman came up to Virgil’s room, banging on Virgil’s door and screaming at him to stop ruining movie night.

Yep. Virgil not only had to try to deal with the fact that one of Thomas’ best friends would be dumping him soon, but he also had Princey to deal with. Needless to say, Virgil had a difficult and stressful day. And after Patton and Logan had finally managed to pull Roman away from Virgil’s door, calming him down with promises of a movie night with only Disney movies, Patton had returned.

“Hey, Kiddo,” Patton called through the door. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to come downstairs for dinner tonight. Roman’s pretty upset about what happened.”

Judging from his tone, Patton wasn’t too happy either. Virgil closed his eyes and curled up tighter on his bed. He hadn’t meant to make such a mess. He never meant to.

Patton kept talking, words a little gentler. “I’m going to leave a plate of dinner outside, okay, Anxiety? I made meatloaf and veg tonight with some boiled potatoes. I really hope you like it!”

‘I hate boiled potatoes,’ Virgil thought distantly with no real force. Instead, he buried his face in his pillow, just waiting for Patton to leave him alone in his misery. He just wanted to sleep and have this day be over already.

Back outside, Patton heaved a heavy sigh. “I just I’ll see you tomorrow, Anxiety. I love you.”

‘Liar,’ Virgil thought, tears burning in his eyes. ‘I love you too.’

With that, Virgil heard another small sigh and footsteps walking away from his room. The smell of meatloaf wafted into Virgil’s room but he couldn’t find it in him to get out of bed and get it. He just laid there staring up at his ceiling, wishing that Pride’s Dragons were there to just end his suffering. Or maybe Pride himself. He could turn into a Dragon, or Virgil was pretty sure that he could.

He laid there for who knows how long until Virgil felt a gentle tugging like someone was trying to summon him. Virgil blinked his eyes open and tried to wave the tugging away. He so wasn’t in the mood to deal with Thomas asking what the heck the extra anxiety during the fight with Terrence was about.

But the tugging wasn’t Thomas or the Light Sides. No, it was different. It was gentler but not the demanding tug that he felt from any of the others. It was a presence that he wasn’t used to but it was familiar. It was Pride. Pride was summoning him. But why? And should he go to him?

Virgil stared up at the ceiling for a few more minutes before sighing. Really, why not go at this point? What was here for him? Cold meatloaf and boiled potatoes? Another night alone? At least this way, even if it was a trap from the Dark Side, Virgil wouldn’t have to be alone with his thoughts anymore.

Besides, maybe seeing Pride again would get rid of the strange knot of emotions forming in Virgil’s gut whenever he thought of him.

* * *

Sneaking through the Imagination was easy as always. Especially now since he had a place that he could focus on and imagine in his head. As it took was five minutes of walking through the Subconscious with the image of Pride’s castle at the forefront of his mind for the mist of the Subconscious to clear and Virgil’s destination to appear just a short five-minute walk away. Already, Virgil could see the dragons flying in the air and, standing in front of the gate waiting for him, was the Dragon Witch himself.

Pride gave Virgil a welcoming smile. "Ah, little lamb! And here I thought that you wouldn’t be coming.”

Virgil had his hands stuffed in his hoodie pockets and slouched over nervously, the stress from the day still eating at him. “Well, you called,” he said, trying to put even a little enthusiasm into his words. Judging by how Pride’s smile didn’t fall, Virgil guessed that he may have succeeded.

“I did call.” Pride took a step forward and offered his arm, his tail flicking through the grass happily. “I remember offering to take you on a tour of my castle. And I find myself lacking company tonight.” One of his eyebrows was raised and his lips quirked up into a little affectionate smirk. “And I couldn’t think of better than my little lamb.”

Virgil cursed the blush that was already staining his cheeks and avoided Pride’s gaze, placing a hand on Pride’s arm. “Couldn’t think of better company other than Anxiety? Jeez, you must be really lonely.”

Pride pouted, drawing Virgil’s attention to his cherry-red painted lips. “Who else would I call? Deceit? He might have an eye for art but that Side wouldn’t know good conversation if it bit him in the ass. I mean, really, philosophy is good and all but I’d like to talk about something else for once!”

Virgil bit down on his lip to cut off any laughter that had been forming. The thought of Deceit, a Side who Virgil only knew from ushering him away from the Light Side, waxing poetic about philosophy was almost amusing. He would never have pegged Deceit as one to like philosophy like Pride was suggesting. “Well,” he muttered with a smirk, “I don’t know how much better I’ll be. I’m not,” he swallowed and glanced away. “I’m not feeling the best right now.”

But Pride only shrugged carelessly. “Perfectly fine. Actually, I’ve been told that my voice can be rather soothing so it’s really fortunate that you’ve come.” He winked at Virgil flirtatiously. “You just listen to my dulcet tones and you’ll be feeling better in no time.”

Virgil snorted and shook his head, following Pride into his castle. For some reason, the guilt, misery, and fear from the fight with Terrence and what had happened afterward disappeared almost as soon as Pride started talking. It didn’t take long for Virgil to figure out why. It wasn’t often that someone talked to him without even a nervous glance in his direction or a hint of snideness or fear in their voice.

But here Pride was, chattering away about his castle, his subjects, and complaining about Deceit and the other Dark Sides without any nerves or fearful glances. He didn’t even try and keep Virgil at arm’s length, letting him walk right next to him with his hand still on his arm.

It made something in Virgil’s chest tighten and made his eyes a little wet.

“So, Anxiety. Just what has you looking like a kicked puppy and would you like me to kill it for you?”

The two of them had moved into a cushy and cozy den with armchairs placed near a roaring fireplace. Pride was sitting back in his with all the grace of a King, his arms on the arms of the chair and legs crossed daintily. Meanwhile, Virgil was curled up in his own chair with his legs pulled tight up to his chest and arms wrapped around his legs.

Virgil blinked at him numbly. “What? No, I’m fine.” His eyes flicked down when Pride raised an eyebrow incredulously. “I’m fine.”

“Sure,” Pride drawled. “Really, I don’t know why you’d be okay. I mean, Deceit was positively furious about what happened with Terrence. And Shame was in tears. The poor dear cried herself to sleep.” He waved a hand toward Virgil. “From how anxious Thomas was and still is, I’m guessing that you’re not doing too well either.”

Virgil curled into a tighter ball and his lips turned down into a scowl. “Yeah,” he muttered. “It’s all my fault. Evil Anxiety ruined everything like always. Just ruined the whole day Thomas had planned with Terrence.” He dug his nails into his legs. “That’s what you get when you have a Villain in your head.”

Pride narrowed his eyes and leaned forward, uncrossing his legs. “And, just how is this your fault? You didn’t start the argument with Terrence nor are you responsible for how Thomas is feeling now.” He tapped his fingernails against the arms of the chair. “Why would you think that?”

“Because it’s always my fault,” Virgil said bitterly. The day that he had just had, the snide comments from Logan, the mocking words from Roman, the fight with Terrence, and the disappointment from Patton caught up to him all at once and then he was fighting back tears. “Thomas got anxious about that stupid, goddamn fight and I ruined the entire night because I kept freaking out and, and,” he trailed off and scrubbed at his eyes furiously. “It was just so fucking stupid and now we’re going to lose one of our best friends!”

Pride chuckled and waved a hand in dismissal. “We’re not going to lose Terrence over such a silly argument. He’s our friend after all.”

Virgil glared at Pride, barely holding back his tears. “We fucked up! Terrence would be an idiot if he didn’t get the hell away from us! We always ruin everything!” He threw his hands up in the air, getting worked up now. “He’s gonna leave and then all of Thomas’ other friends are gonna leave too and we’ll be all alone and Thomas will be ruined!”

Pride tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. “Hmm, but why? Terrence and Thomas have had many, many arguments in the past. He’s had arguments with all of his friends before and they’ve all stayed.” A proud grin grew on his face. “Thomas does have rather brilliant friends, doesn’t he?”

“Well, yeah, duh,” Virgil said, blinking at Pride in confusion and a few tears escaping him. “That’s obvious but,”

“So,” Pride continued, leaning forward and wiping away Virgil’s tears with his thumb, Virgil too surprised to stop him. “If our friends are so brilliant and loyal,” he raised an eyebrow. “They are loyal, aren’t they?”

“Of course they are,” Virgil snapped, insulted that Pride would even suggest that.

“And they love Thomas.”

Virgil glanced down at the ground, feeling small and stupid as he got what Pride was trying to explain to him. “And they love Thomas,” he muttered.

Pride smiled at him, soft and kind. “Exactly, little lamb. They love Thomas and that means that none of them, Terrence included, are going to leave us.” He chuckled, not mean or cruel but kind and soft. “They’re not going anywhere, little lamb, I promise.”

Virgil closed his eyes and his shame for overreacting, again, heightened “Right,” he muttered. He suddenly felt stupid, feeling so stupid and terribly that he went to a Dark Side, the Dragon Witch, for company. The armchair he had been sitting jerked as Virgil stood up abruptly. “I-I should go.”

Pride stood up too, tail sliding out of the hole in the armchair easily. He frowned at Virgil in something that Virgil could almost read as concern. “Go? But why? You just got here not that long ago.” He stepped forward, tilting his head and narrowing his eyes. “Is anything alright, Anxiety? You’re looking positively pale.”

Virgil shook his head, his hands shaking and his gut twisting. “No, I should leave,” he muttered. “Sorry, this whole thing was stupid, I was just being so damn stupid coming here, getting upset. Sorry, I should yeah,” he turned to leave but Pride caught his hand in a tight hold.

“Anxiety,” Pride said, said in a tone that was far gentler than Virgil was used to hearing. “What’s wrong? Tell me, little one. What happened? Tell me what ailed you and I will kill it, I swear it.”

Virgil avoided Pride’s eyes and swallowed down the bile that had risen at the Dragon Witch’s words. Roman had forever ruined that phrase for him with the fear that one day the Prince would find what ailed Thomas, Virgil, and kill him. It was something that kept Virgil up most nights. And in the hopes to change the subject as quickly as he could, Virgil spat out the first thing that came to his mind. “You’re a Witch!”

Embarrassment and horror quickly followed and Virgil wanted to sink through the floor and die. ‘Great thing to say, really,’ Virgil thought. ‘It’s obvious and it shows just how awkward and stupid you are. Brilliant Virgil, you’re just brilliant.’

Thankfully, Pride just smirked and nodded. “A Dragon Witch,” he said, bowing his head a little to show off his horns. His tail twitched a little like he was pleased that Virgil had noticed. “A King too but we were talking about me being a Dragon Witch, not a King.” He smiled at Virgil and chuckled. “I’d offer a demonstration but it’s all rather startling, turning into a Dragon and all. But, perhaps instead I could offer you a quiet dinner and a room for the night?”

“I should get back to the Light Side,” Virgil said reluctantly, not really wanting to go back to his room and eat the, by now cold, meatloaf and boiled potatoes. Hearing the others downstairs having their fun, family movie night would only make it worse. “In case anyone misses me.”

Pride’s lips dipped down into a perfect pout. “Oh, stay, please. I’m so much more fun than boring old Princey and the other Light Sides. Besides, and I hope you won’t mind me saying this, but you seem almost as lonely as I do.” He tilted his head. “Just a few hours and maybe a quick dinner? Please?”

Something squirmed in Virgil’s gut, weird and different and something that Virgil had never felt before. It felt almost exactly like the saying that Patton liked to toss around every so often. Like he had butterflies in his stomach.

“Um, just for a bit,” Virgil stuttered. “I guess that that would be okay, I guess.” He glanced down, having trouble looking right into Pride’s eyes for some reason.

“Perfect,” Pride cheered, pulling Virgil to his side. Virgil choked a little on his spit, his whole face turning pink. “Come, let’s have some dinner! Though, we must have you in proper clothing. After all, I made my little corner of the imagination a castle for a reason. Do you have those clothes I made for you?”

Virgil swallowed nervously and nodded. “Um, y-yeah. Just let me, um, yeah.” He snapped his fingers and the pile of clothes that Pride had given him landed on the chair that he had just been sitting in.

* * *

Roman jerked up with a frown on his face, his connection to the imagination rippling with a strange energy. Patton frowned up at him from where he was cuddling with Logan on the couch. “Roro? Is something wrong, Kiddo?”

“Um,” Roman blinked and tried to focus on the energy he had felt. But the energy was already fading and he couldn’t get a grip on it. “Nothing, nothing. Probably just one of Pride’s stupid Dragons getting near my edge of the Imagination again.” He shook his head and pulled at his sash thoughtfully. “Probably nothing.”

He’d look into it later. A movie night with his family was much more important than some stupid, strange energy in the Imagination. Yes, later. He’d look into it later.

* * *

Pride had left him in the sitting room to let him get dressed and once Virgil was back in the clothes that the Dragon Witch had made for him, with his black hoodie wrapped around his waist, Pride led him back to the same room where they had eaten the day before. “I know that we had breakfast last night, pretty odd since it was rather late when we ate it, but I had my Dragons cook up a proper dinner for us tonight. I know that you’ll love it!”

Virgil had his hand back on Pride’s arm and was doing his best to talk through the utter squirming in his chest. “Bet,” he mumbled, wincing at the stupid word choice but Pride just laughed affectionately and the end of his tail wrapped around Virgil’s wrist.

“Bet,” Pride echoed. He led Virgil over to the table, sliding the chair out for Virgil before walking around the long table to sit across from him. Plates and a glass full of some dark liquid appeared right in front of them both almost as soon as Pride sat down and Virgil’s mouth watered at the smell and the sight

Pride chuckled at the look on Virgil’s face and he gestured to him. “Are you going to eat it or just stare at it all day, my little lamb?” He picked up his own knife and fork, cutting into his steak with ease.

Virgil swallowed and followed suit. “Right, right. Um, thanks.” He cut into his own steak, eyeing the salad on the side with hungry eyes. There were no potatoes on this plate and Virgil was about two minutes from promising to never leave if Pride was going to make him food like this at every meal.

Hell, he was two minutes from promising that anyways if Pride kept up the kindness and not treating Virgil like he was evil incarnate.

“So, you’re Pride,” he said, trying and failing miserably at starting a conversation.

“And you’re Anxiety,” Pride said back. He smirked at Virgil, sending a spark through Virgil’s heart. “A Dark Side and a Light Side sitting down for dinner together. Strange, isn’t it?” He leaned forward and cocked an eyebrow. “Something that I’d like to do more often. Especially with my favourite little lamb.”

Virgil’s face warmed and he glanced away, biting off another of steak just so he wouldn’t say something weird and make things awkward. But the bite of steak was eventually eaten and Virgil had to say something. “So, why Dragons?”

Why Dragons. Virgil was one of the stupidest Sides in existence, it was proven.

Pride only shrugged and started swirling his glass around. “Why not? I admire them. They know what’s there and they protect them. If you think about it, you’re a bit of a Dragon too.”

That really shouldn’t hurt Virgil as much as it did, especially since the comment was meant as praise and given by a Side who willingly called himself the Dragon Witch. But, after hearing all about how Dragons were villains and evil from Roman, the comment certainly stung. Virgil could barely cut his steak again, his hands were shaking so much. “From what Prince Pompous told me, that’s not much of a compliment,” he muttered.

“But why not?” Pride took a sip from his glass and raised an eyebrow. “What’s so bad about Dragons? As I said, they know what’s theirs and who they are. They’re proud of what they have and who they are. To me, that’s a good thing.”

Virgil stared down at his plate, appetite quickly leaving him. “But I’m not proud,” he said softly. “Not of myself, of my stuff, of anything. How am I a Dragon?”

“First of all,” Pride said with a little frown. “You should be proud of yourself. You’re one of the Sides who protect Thomas and all of us. How many times would Thomas have died if you hadn’t been there?”

Virgil said nothing so Pride continued, pointing his fork at Virgil. “Secondly, you are a Dragon. Dragons protect what are theirs and you do that every single day by just being you.”

“By…just being me?”

Pride’s entire demeanour seemed to soften and he smiled at Virgil gently, making Virgil’s heart flipped. “Yes, my dear Anxiety. Just by being you.”

Dinner passed quickly after that and Virgil found himself disappointed when he glanced at his phone and realized that it was eleven o’clock. He winced. Ugh, the others would be finished up with their movie night by now and it would be almost impossible to leave the Imagination since Roman liked strolling through the Imagination before he went to bed. Not completely impossible but it would be annoyingly hard.

Thankfully, Pride refused to even hear of Virgil leaving his Kingdom that late. “Not a chance,” Pride huffed. “Let you leave at this time of night? No, that is out of the question. I’ll escort you to your room for the night and you can sleep here. I’ll have the same guards that guarded your room the last time do so again. Good? Good.”

So that’s how Virgil found himself spending yet another night at a castle crawling with Dragons and ruled by a Dragon Witch. But, it was only for the night. It wasn’t like he’d ever go back.

* * *

Virgil kept going back.

Honestly, it wasn’t his fault. Pride’s kindness was like a fucking drug and Virgil was high off of it. After years of getting nothing but snide comments, fear, and Patton’s wary care, being talked to like he was an actual person felt like being on cloud nine all the damn time. Pride could be actual confess to manipulating him and Virgil would probably be completely fine with it as long as Pride kept up talking to him, giving him little hugs, and calling him “Little Lamb”.

Yeah. Virgil was so fucking pathetic.

It started getting to the point where Virgil spent almost all of his time with the Dark Side, not leaving Pride’s side of the Imagination unless Thomas needed him for a video. If the other Light Sides noticed anything amiss then they didn’t say anything. Thankfully, Roman didn’t seem to notice the brief energy from Virgil stupidly summoning his clothes from his room, which took a huge weight off of Virgil’s shoulders.

Virgil’s life had actually started getting a little better after meeting Pride. Having someone to talk to and actually listen to him and his concerns were something that Virgil had been looking for since he had manifested and had been denied every single day of his life. He was trying to look a little more on the “light side”, especially with Pride there to talk him through any concerns he had. It felt like, for once in his life, Virgil was actually in a good place.

And then came the cartoon episode and everything came crashing down around him.

Every good thing that had been happening in Virgil’s life seemed utterly insignificant in light of what had happened. Having one of his dreams of being a cartoon, a dream that he should have known better than to share with the other, and having it twisted to be where he was a villain again was like a slap back to reality. He wasn’t good, he wasn’t soft or a protector like Pride insisted. He was a villain and villains never got redemption stories. They didn’t get good things or people who listened to them and helped calm them down from panic attacks or stupid thoughts. They were forced to fly, Virgil hated heights, and got punched by the person that they were trying to protect.

So was it really surprising that when the video ended, Virgil walked straight to his room and locked it from the inside, intent on throwing away the key? After how far he was pushed? After everything that he had been through? Was it really surprising that he no longer wanted to be hated and to be holding Thomas back?

He was useless, he was evil, he was done. Virgil couldn’t do this anymore. So as soon as he had locked the door, he placed the key on his bed, cut himself off from Thomas, grabbed his new purple and black hoodie, and sunk down into the unconscious, intent on walking through the unconscious forever.

But, of course, it didn’t go Virgil’s way. Why the hell would it? No, nothing ever went Anxiety’s way. Only after walking five minutes through the unconscious, someone settled in by Virgil’s side, walking with him. Virgil didn’t even flinch. He had with this person far too much to not recognize his energy signature by now. “Hey,” he croaked.

“Hello,” Pride hummed. His tail reached up, wrapping around Virgil’s waist. “I was watching the most recent video.” The tail tightened around Virgil’s waist. “I’ve never seen one before. The way they treated you.” He stopped them both and gently turned Virgil around and brushed a gentle thumb under Virgil’s black eye while cupping Virgil’s cheek with his other hand. “I once offered to kill whatever ails you. The fact that the things that ail you are the other Light Sides doesn’t change this in the slightest. Say the word and I’ll destroy them for you, I swear it, my dear Prince.”

Virgil’s throat tightened at Pride’s words and his lower lip wobbled a little. “No,” he whispered, leaning into Pride’s hand. “No, don’t kill them. T-they’re r-right, I’m a v-v-villain and they’re, they’re,” the words died and he trailed off. The Dragon Witch and Anxiety were silent for a few moments, the fog of the Unconscious drifting around them.

“Come with me,” Pride whispered. “You’ve cut yourself off from Thomas, I can feel it. I can’t stop you from doing this but I can protect you.” His red eyes stared at Virgil pleadingly. “Please, come with me, Anxiety. Please.”

Virgil closed his eyes, feeling small and hopeless in this one moment and as if the only person who cared for him was Pride. Like Pride was the only person in the entire world who loved him. Not that that was exactly wrong. And in that one moment, he could think of only one thing to say. “Virgil.”

The hand that had been brushing Virgil’s thumb fell from Virgil’s face in surprise and the hand on his cheek loosened. “Virgil,” Pride repeated. The name was drawn out and spoken with such love and gentleness that Virgil almost cried. “Virgil. Virgil, my Prince, my little lamb.” His tail pulled Virgil a little closer to him and Pride rested his forehead against the Anxious Side’s. “My name is Adam, my dear Anxiety. And Adam the Dragon Witch, Thomas’ Pride, ruler of the Dragon Kingdom, will care for you from now on, my Dear.”

Virgil opened his eyes and looked up at Adam with teary eyes.“I forgot the clothes you gave me in my room,” Virgil croaked.

“I’ll make you new ones,” Adam promised. “Clothes fit for the Prince you are.”

And with that, Adam the Dragon Witch pulled Virgil down into his Kingdom to rest.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Light Sides and Thomas have discovered Anxiety is no longer there and they’ve decided to go look for him.

When they had all figured out that it was Anxiety refusing to show up that was affecting Thomas, Roman hadn’t thought that going to Anxiety’s room would reveal so much. Especially just who it was who was sneaking into the Imagination every day.

Roman wasn’t even focusing on Thomas or the others when they sunk into Virgil’s room. Instead, he was focused on the energy that was coming off of Anxiety’s room. See, Roman had never been in Anxiety’s room before so he had never felt the energy that came with it and never figured out where the energy from weeks ago that had flashed through the Imagination had come from. And it was just because of that reason that when the angsty, dark energy seeped in them, the pieces of the puzzle started putting themselves together for Roman.

“Okay,” Thomas said, presumingly back to normal now that he was in Anxiety’s room and has access to anxiety. “But if this is his room, then where’s Anxiety?”

Roman turned in a slow circle, narrowing his eyes. “He’s not here,” he said dangerously. “But I think I know where he is.” His lips thinned into an angry frown. “And, I think when I see him, I’m going to kill him.”

“Roman!”

Roman turned to glare at Patton. “I am, Patton! I’m going to kill him for this!”

Logan crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. “For what, exactly?” 

“The little sneak has been sneaking into the Imagination,” Roman snarled. He rested a hand on his sword, gripping it tightly. “I can’t believe this! He’s been sneaking into my realm somehow and doing who knows what! I can’t believe this! He’s probably working with Pride! Oh, I knew that he was a villain!”

“Woah, Woah, Woah,” Thomas said, raising his hands and looking at his Sides with a confused and resigned look like he was already accepted whatever craziness that his Sides were about to hand to him this time. “Pride? Who’s Pride? And how do you know that Anxiety was sneaking into the Imagination?”

“A Dark Side,” Roman said coldly, explaining nothing really. “He’s in charge of your Pride and he controls a small part of the Imagination. And he’s a Dragon Witch. The same Dragon Witch that I fight in the Imagination. And I know that Anxiety was sneaking into the Imagination because he’s accidentally let some of the energy coming in this room seep into my own!” Roman’s hands curled into fists. “I just can’t believe this!”

“Neither can I,” Logan mused, rubbing his chin. “Perhaps you’re right about Anxiety sneaking into the Imagination but, out of all the things that you can say about Anxiety, he never would’ve cut himself off from Thomas. Especially if we knew what we did not. How important he is to Thomas functioning, I mean.” He glanced at all of them with a worried frown. “Anxiety never would’ve left willingly, I’m sure of it. So why did he cut himself off from Thomas?”

There was a long silence as they all thought before Roman blinked as a thought came to him. “Well,” he thought. “What if Pride betrayed him?”

“Betrayed him,” Patton repeated in confusion.

“Yes,” Roman said, becoming more and more sure about this idea. “Now, try and keep up.” He ignored the scoff from Logan and continued. “What if Anxiety started sneaking into the Imagination to talk to Pride, a fellow Dark Side,”

“Anxiety’s a Dark Side?”

Roman huffed and glared at Patton. “All questions and comments until the end of my epiphany, please and thank you! Now,” he waved a hand dramatically. “Anxiety kept sneaking into the Imagination to talk to his fellow Dark Side, perhaps to talk some plans of theirs. But, Pride, the evil Dragon Witch that he is, started talking about perhaps cutting Anxiety off from Thomas so that he will become a bumbling couch potato,”

“Rude.”

“So,” Roman continued loudly, “Anxiety says no, knowing what cutting himself off could do to Thomas! He may be a villain but he's not as big as one as Pride. So, once Pride hears that his once ally now turned foe refused him, he imprisoned Anxiety in his castle and forced Anxiety to cut himself from Thomas!” Roman sighed, closing up his epic speech. “And now, Anxiety is most likely curled up in a cell, hoping against hope that a brave knight will come to save him and help restore his connection to Thomas.”

Logan tapped his index finger against his chin thoughtfully. “_Perhaps_. That actually seems to make some sense, from what we know thus far.”

“Oh,” Patton moaned, clasping his hands to his chest, pulling at his cardigan anxiously. “The poor thing must be so afraid! Just think of Anxiety being so scared in his cell! He never should’ve trusted Pride!”

Thomas’ frown deepened, glancing between his three Sides with a furrowed brow. “Okay, let’s all calm down here, alright? So, Anxiety’s hurt and captured,”

“Well, we don’t know that for sure,” 

Roman cut Logan off with a short nod. “He was, yes. And if we want to keep you from turning back into the idiot that you are without him, then we have to find him!” He tilted his head up and grinned at all of them. “Now, let’s get ready! We have a damsel in distress to save!”

* * *

Adam drummed his fingers against his throne, staring down at Deceit with a frown. “So, Thomas really has turned into a moron without Anxiety?”

Deceit shrugged lazily. He was standing in Adam’s throne room, talking to Pride about what had happened with Virgil. “Of course he has. Really, what else would’ve happened? I knew that something like this would happen eventually. Poor Anxiety can only take so much hatred.” He raised an eyebrow at his fellow Dark Side. “So, do you plan to do something about this?”

“Do you?” Adam shot back.

Deceit shrugged and studied his nails through his gloves. “Not unless this goes on for too long. You know how much I believe that sometimes you need a lesson on how the grass is truly greener on the side you were on originally. I’ll stay out of this for two days. If Anxiety hasn’t connected himself back to Thomas by then, I’ll have to step in.”

“And if I don’t allow you to?” Adam raised an eyebrow, staring down at Deceit. “I promised my little lamb that he wouldn’t have to go back.”

“And you don’t have to break your promise,” Deceit said with an air of a man who was explaining things to a very small child. “Just have him connect back to Thomas so he doesn’t get himself killed by not looking before he crosses the street or something equally as stupid.” He sighed and shook his head. “He doesn’t have to leave your castle or safety. Keep him here and keep him happy. But try and convince him to connect himself back to Thomas. I’d rather not be a Side to someone without common sense.”

Adam sat back in his throne, nodding in agreement. “Nor do I. But Anxiety is convinced that he is a villain. Someone that Thomas doesn’t need to survive.”

Deceit’s jaw dropped. “But you only need to look at him to see that he’s wrong! He’s been here for a whole day, hasn’t he looked to see how Thomas is doing?”

Adam sighed and shook his head. “No, he hasn’t. He’s with some of my younger subjects in the gardens right now.” He leaned forward and buried his face in his hands. “Deceit, you didn’t see Anxiety after the last video. He meant to walk out into the Unconscious and fade. He needs time to heal.”

“Thomas needs him,” Deceit argued. “I know that he needs time but he also needs to at least open himself up to him so Thomas doesn’t stay a blubbering idiot forever!” He placed a hand on his hip and glared at Adam. “They sunk down into Anxiety’s room and Thomas has come back to himself, having the residual energy from Anxiety’s room. But it won’t help him once he comes out of the Mindscape. Anxiety needs to open himself back up!”

“And what about what Anxiety needs?” Adam glared at Deceit and his tail flicked angrily through the hole in his throne. “I understand that Thomas needs him, I am a part of him and I only want what is best for him. We all do. But I need to consider the Side that trusts me to protect him. I can and I will encourage him to see how Thomas is doing and encourage Anxiety to open himself back up to him. But don’t you dare presume to order me, _ Deception _.”

The two Dark Sides glared at each other for a long time, both sure that they knew best. The moment was only broken by the doors to the throne room slamming open and a Dragon that just barely came up to Deceit’s knee came running in. “My King! My King, it’s Prince Anxiety! T-the Prince Roman broke into the castle and, and,”

Adam jerked out of his throne, standing straight at attention and staring intently at his tiny subject. “Where? Where are they?” Have the Light Sides hurt his precious Anxiety? If they had hurt a single hair on Virgil’s head than he would burn their side of the Mindscape to the ground to get him back.

He distantly decided that his devotion to the Anxious Side, which was already very strong, could be looked into with more depth after he knew that Virgil was safe.

“The gardens,” the tiny Dragon gasped out and then they and Deceit quickly got out of the way as Adam stormed down the throne room, tail tense and horns quivering as he rushed to protect his, and every one of Thomas’ Sides and Thomas himself, little protector from the very people who Virgil had tried to protect.

* * *

“How much farther?”

“Patton, we’ve only been walking for a few minutes now. We’ve only just snuck into Pride’s castle.”

“Guys, I really think that we shouldn’t be talking so loudly.”

“Yeah guys, you’re going to ruin this dramatic rescue! We need to be quiet as we go to rescue that emo Knightmare.”

Logan rolled his eyes. Really, this whole rescue was not going to end well. He could already see him, Roman, and Patton being in a cell with Anxiety while the Dark Sides completely took over Thomas and his personality. If something happened, Logan was more than prepared to grab his family and Thomas, seemingly normal as long as he was semi-close to Anxiety or some of his energy, and sink out as quickly as possible. Yes, Anxiety was a key part of Thomas and they would have to get him back permanently if Thomas was to function normally. But Logan would not risk Thoman, Roman, or Patton over it. If this didn’t work, Logan would return on his own and negotiate for Anxiety’s return with Pride. He was sure that he would be able to do it without the more… emotional charged Sides there to escalate matters. 

But for now, he’d go along with this rescue. He was at the end of their small group as they walked through the garden, a few minutes away from the Castle. They sunk over the walls into the gardens and now they just had to sneak into the Castle. Logan was holding onto Patton’s hand tightly and in range to grab onto Thomas’ arm if something happened. Roman, hopefully, would know enough to follow them in sinking out if they got cornered. Hopefully. Negotiating for Anxiety and Roman’s return would be such a hassle. But something that Logan was already planning for. Just in case.

He pulled Patton to a stop as Roman poked his head around the corner. “Careful,” he whispered to the older Side. “We are in enemy territory and I’d rather not see you captured.”

Patton sent him a tense smile. “I know, Lolo. Don’t worry, I’ll be careful.” Morality’s eyes were cold and angry. “But I’m not leaving here without Anxiety.”

The emotions that Logan had always tried to push down flared at Patton’s passion and loyalty and Logan firmly pushed them back down. This wasn’t the time. “I know,” he whispered, already mourning the effort it would take to pull Patton back into the Mindscape if things went pear-shaped. He squeezed Patton’s hand in an awkward show of affection and reassurance. “We’ll get him back, I’m sure.”

He hoped that Patton believed him. Lying for reassurance never came easy for Logan.

Thankfully, he was pulled out from discovering whether or not if Patton believed him by Roman calling softly back at them, “It’s clear. Let’s go.” He walked around the corner, his samurai sword half out of its sheath already, Thomas right behind him. Logan fought back a sigh and followed, hand holding onto Patton’s tightly. He just knew that this was going to end badly.

But, amazingly, after a few more minutes of walking, Logan heard something. And by the way Patton perked up and Roman paused to listen, he wasn't the only one. It was a sound that was rare to hear and even rarer to hear without a layer of bitterness to it. It was _Anxiety’s_ **_laughter_**.

They all glanced at each other in confusion. Why would Anxiety be laughing, especially as a captive? He should be crying in fear, screaming in defiance, but why would Anxiety be laughing? Furthermore, why the heck was Anxiety in the gardens instead of a cell? Gears started to turn in Logan’s mind as he tried to figure out this newest puzzle. Was Anxiety truly a captive? But, if he wasn’t a captive, why had he cut his presence off from Thomas? None of this made any sense and this whole thing was starting to hurt Logan’s head.

“Is that… Anxiety?” Thomas looked even more confused than his Sides did, if that was possible. “He can laugh?”

Roman shrugged and motioned for them to keep moving. “Come on. I don’t think he’s far now.”

‘Excellent,’ Logan thought. ‘That means that answers aren’t too far away either. He gripped Patton’s hand tightly as they walked in the direction of Anxiety’s laughter that was still ringing through the air. It was only as they walked a little further down the gardens and looking around a large tree that they found Anxiety. And, for someone who was supposed to be a prisoner, Anxiety certainly didn’t look scared or even hurt.

He was sitting on the grass with a little Dragon in his lap, a Dragon that barely looked bigger than Anxiety’s forearm. Around six other Dragons, juveniles if Logan was correct, were bouncing around the Anxious Side gleefully, falling and bumping into each other every few seconds. Anxiety was watching all of this with a smile that was more real than any Logan had ever seen on Anxiety. 

And gone was the black hoodie. It was replaced with a black and purple patchwork one that was tied around his waist. He was wearing black dress pants and combat boots that went up to mid-shin. Gone was the black, ratty shirt and instead he was wearing a long sleeve purple shirt with silver buttons. There was a black cape around his shoulders with little purple dragons stitched into it. On his head sat a silver crown. Nothing fancy like the crown Logan had seen Roman flaunt around the Mindscape but it seemed to suit Anxiety. Just a simple circlet had sat on his, brushed out for once, head. 

Logan never thought that he’d be saying this, but Anxiety looked good. He looked happy. He never looked happy around them.

Thomas stepped forward, looking over Anxiety in concern. “Anxiety?”

Any of the happiness and ease in the garden were zapped out as soon as Thomas spoke. The Dragons stopped playing and all stared at the intruders in their home with suspicion, a few of them flocking over to Anxiety and hiding behind him. Anxiety himself jerked up and stared at them all with wide, frightened eyes. His usual makeup had been wiped away so there was nothing to hide the dusting of freckles over his nose or his black eye. Or how the blood drained out of his face when he saw them.

“Oh, Anxiety!” Patton rushed forward but froze when the tiny Dragons around Anxiety all hissed at him warningly. The one in Anxiety’s lap puffed up and hissed, sounding almost exactly like an angry kitten. Anxiety grimaced and stood up, holding the baby Dragon to his chest. 

“Go on,” he murmured to the little Dragons. “I’m fine here. Go back to your families, okay?” He spoke to them gently and not at all afraid. Logan watched the interaction with narrowed eyes. The Dragons may be juvenile but they were still Pride’s subjects. Anxiety, is he was truly a prisoner, shouldn’t be near them. The puzzle was starting to be put together and it was looking like Roman and, by extension, all of them might have misread just what had happened with Anxiety.

The Dragons raced away until they were left alone with Anxiety and the tiny, baby Dragon in his arms. No one moved for a few minutes until Anxiety muttered out, “Hey.”

And, of course, that set off all of the nonsense.

“Hey,” Thomas repeated incredulously. “Hey?” He stepped closer but stopped when Anxiety shrunk back, the baby Dragon hissing warningly. “Anxiety, we’ve been worried sick about you!” Concern was written all over Thomas’ face and he looked one second away from either smothering Anxiety in a hug or start screaming out of frustration and worry. 

“Why?”

* * *

Virgil stared at the Light Sides and Thomas in confusion. Thomas was running his hands through his hair, staring right back at Virgil with an expression that Virgil couldn't quite pin down. Why was he looking at him like that? 

He looked at the three Light Sides and Thomas with narrowed, confused eyes, clutching the baby Dragon close to his chest. "What are you even doing here?" He huffed and shifted the Dragon slightly, who gently nuzzled his cheek. 

Patton swallowed, stepping forward with wide eyes. "Anxiety," he said softly, glancing down at the baby Dragon nervously. "Are you, how are, what are you-"

"Why are you here with Pride and not connected to Thomas," Roman cut in. His eyes were full of passionate anger, glaring at Virgil and the Dragon like they had stolen his crown. "We thought you were a prisoner and yet, here you are! Galavanting about the gardens in Pride's Kingdom looking happier than can be!" He stomped forward and it took everything in Virgil to not scramble back when Roman jabbed a finger in his chest. "And what do you think you're doing in the Imagination, **_my _**realm!"

Something in Virgil twanged at that and he looked up at Roman, lips curling into a small sneer. "It's not just **_your _**realm," he said softly and coldly.

Roman matched Virgil's sneer with one of his own. "What?"

"He said that it wasn't just your realm and he's right. It's also partially** _mine _ **."

Virgil whirled around and visibly relaxed at Adam striding forward. His cape, dark red today, fluttered behind him. He has a smirk on his face but Virgil could see the concern aimed to him and the utter rage aimed at the others. He yelped a little when Patton grabbed his wrist, pulling Virgil behind him. The baby Dragon whined, squirming in his arms with his tail thumping against Virgil's arm. Virgil grimaced. With Patton holding Virgil and Thomas behind him and Roman and Logan standing in front protectively, it was like they thought he needed to be protected from Adam. Virgil didn't like that feeling.

Logan quickly stepped and adjusted his glasses, giving Adam a cold look. "Pride, we've come to collect-"

_ Collect_?

"-Anxiety and connect him back to Thomas." Logan waved a hand behind him where the Sides and Thomas, who was staring at Pride with wide, amazed, and slightly scared eyes. "And now that we've found him, I believe we'll be on our way."

Adam arched an eyebrow. "No, I don't think you will be. Anxiety, my dear, could you come here, please?"

Roman scoffed. "Please. Not even Anxiety is dense enough to-" he trailed off, his eyes widening and his mouth falling open as Virgil tugged his wrist out of Patton's grip and padded over to Adam.

Virgil could hear Patton's breath hitch. "Anxiety?" His voice was soft and a little betrayed. At any other time, it would make Virgil squirm in guilt.

Now? It made that rush of emotions in his chest tighten in anger.

A tense silence fell over the group as Virgil walked to Adam, letting the Dragon down to run out of the garden on his way over. Adam smiled at him, gently brushing a thumb under his black eye. "There now," he mumbled. "Now that I know you're safe-"

"And, why wouldn't Anxiety be safe with us," Logan asked, arching his eyebrow. "We've done nothing to-" He blinked in surprise at the giggle that leaked out of Virgil at Logan's words.

Done nothing?

_ “Quite right. I applaud you using your brain for something more than thinking of new ways of, as you said, ruining Thomas’ day.” _

"You've intruded on my lands," Adam said, jutting his chin out. His tail swished back and forth in annoyance behind him and with how close Virgil was to him, he could almost feel a growl growing in Adam's chest. "And you've disturbed my_ guest _."

"Guest," Patton gasped, breaking out from behind the others and stomping to Adam, who quickly pulled Virgil behind him. Virgil felt conflicted emotions at that. On one hand, Adam must think Virgil was so weak that he couldn't protect himself. On the other hand, Adam wanted to protect him.

Virgil was drawn out of his thoughts by Patton stopping in front of Adam and, putting his fists on his hips, glaring at him. "A guest isn't someone who was tricked into coming to your house!"

"Uh, Patton," Logan said awkwardly, "we don't know for sure if Pride-"

"You tricked Anxiety into coming here and un-connecting from Thomas," Patton accused with a stern, disappointed expression. It was the same one he gave Virgil whenever Thomas felt a rush of anxiety and it made Virgil's hands curl into fists. What did Adam do to make Patton place blame on him?

_ "Well, what about Anxiety? He's always bringing you down." _

"I did nothing of the sort," Adam snapped. He placed a hand on Virgil's shoulder and Virgil could feel the smooth skin start to roughen into scales ever so slightly. "He came here of his own free will after that disaster of a video!"

"I want to stay here," Virgil said softly but his words were hard to hear over Roman's offended and dramatic gasp. 

"**_Disaster_**?!" Roman placed a hand on his sword. "And how was the video a disaster?! Not even Anxiety's presence ruined it!"

_ "Oh okay, I can’t stand that guy." _

"Okay, um, let's all calm down," Thomas said, stepping forward with his hands raised peacefully. He froze when Adam turned to look at him but visibly gathered his courage to continue to speak. "You're Pride, right? What do you mean that the video was a disaster?"

Adam's smile turned genuine, seemingly happy to have Thomas' attention for once. Not that Virgil could blame him when that's all every Side wanted. He bowed so dramatically that Virgil wouldn't be surprised if Roman secretly approved of it. "Yes, I am your Pride. And, I thought that would be quite obvious." He looked pointedly to the bruise under Virgil's eyes and squeezed his hand. "But I wouldn't have any problem with explaining it to you. Alone."

All at once, the Light Sides were protesting. Virgil gritted his teeth as his anger and frustrated built.

** Breath in for three. **

"There is no way we are allowing Thomas to stay with you Dark Sides," Roman snarled, drawing his sword and pointing it at Virgil and Adam. Virgil could feel his heart pounding against his ribcage and, for the first time in a very long time, it wasn't in fear.

** Hold for seven. **

"No, no way! Thomas isn't staying here alone," Patton said, puffing up. He was staring at the two of them, the two enemies, villains, with anger. "If there's going to be an explanation, we're staying for it!"

** Breathe out for eight. **

"I must agree with the others," Logan said coolly. "What is going to happen is Anxiety re-connecting with Thomas and then the five of us are leaving."

** Repeat. **

Adam snarled and stepped forward, hand falling from Virgil's shoulder, jabbing his finger in Logan's chest. "No, it is not! Anxiety wants to stay and he will be staying!"

** Repeat **

"Don't touch him!"

** Repeat **

"Perhaps we should have a battle to determine this, _Pride _."

** Repeat **

"Oh, I'd adore that, _ Creativity_. You use that flimsy katana as your weapon and I'll use fire as mine."

** Breathe the anger out. **

Thomas was staring at Virgil like one would stare at a bomb in the last seconds before exploding. "Anxiety?"

** Breathe- **

"Would you two stop this pointless bickering," Logan scolded, stepping to Virgil. "Anxiety, we are leaving." He placed a hand on Virgil's shoulder and it was that small piece of contact that had Virgil's already shaky control of his anger fall apart.

"**_Shut up! _ **"

Virgil broke away from Logan violently. Blood was pounding in his ears so hard that he barely noticed the shouting skidding to a sudden halt. Patton took a shaky step forward, eyes full of shock. "A-Anx-"

"Shut up," Virgil screamed, stomping his foot. "Just shut up! For once in your lives would you all listen to me?!" 

He distantly heard Logan sigh. "Excellent. The return of the tantrum thrower." Virgil's anger flared but he did something that not even he expected.

He threw his head back and laughed.

Virgil laughed, simply howling with laughter with a few snorts mixed in there. The Light Sides watched in, so fixated on him and not sure what to do that they didn't notice Adam taking Thomas by the arm and moving out of Virgil's direct line of sight. Neither did Virgil.

He just laughed. And laughed and laughed until it literally hurt to continue. Virgil looked up at the shunned Logan and gasped out, "Tantrum?! You think I'm throwing a tantrum?" He straightened up and pulled up his hoodie from where it had fallen too low around his hips. "You think me finally letting you all know how I'm sick and tired of you all not listening to me is throwing a tantrum?" Virgil stalked forward slowly. "Me telling you to _ listen _ to me is the same as what Thomas used to do as a toddler?"

Logan stood firm, looking at Virgil like he was beneath his regard. "I think you screaming like a toddler throwing a tantrum is akin to a toddler throwing a tantrum, yes."

Virgil snickered and shook his head. "Funny, funny. You try and make me go from a place where I want to be and I feel safe in-"

"I didn't realize that you were here of your own free will-"

"Why the hell wouldn't I be," Virgil snapped. He waved his arms angrily, forcing Logan to take a few steps back. "Why wouldn't I want to be in a place where someone actually accepts and wants to be around me!?" He snarled and after a few moments of silence, he spat out, "What's my name?"

If the silence was tense before then it could be cut with Roman's katana at this point. Patton coughed awkwardly. "Y-you haven't told us yet, kiddo."

"And why do you think that is," Virgil asked lowly, fury bubbling close to the surface. "Do you think it's just a coincidence that I haven't decided to give up my name to the three of you when I've known each other since I physically formed? Just a coincidence that I told _ Pride _ before I told any of you?" He scowled. "Because I trust him. Because I know that he actually likes me."

"We want you," Patton said softly. The looks Roman and Logan shared behind him said otherwise.

"Do you," Virgil shot back. "Really? Then why are you here? Because you care about me?" He grinned at the guilt that crawled over Patton's face. It helped cover the ache in his chest with a form of mean satisfaction. "No, you didn't come here because you actually care. You came here because you realized that I serve a _purpose_. Because you found that out and you want me back to fulfill that purpose."

Roman cleared his throat. "Well, if you know how important your purpose is then why_ did _you unconnect from Thomas?"

Virgil bared his teeth at him and said lowly, "Isn't it obvious? Because I'm a villain. I'm evil. Haven't you told me that enough times, Princey?" He glared at the three of them and he could feel tears pooling in the corners of his eyes. "I can't do it anymore," he whispered, and he could feel the anger draining from him, leaving just pain and tiredness. "I just can't do it." He lowered his head with tears dripping down his cheeks. "I just can't do it anymore," he whispered. "I don't want to be the bad guy anymore. Is that so bad?"

The gardens were silent except for Virgil's shaky breaths. Everyone seemed to be stunned into silence and no one made a move until soft footsteps came from behind Virgil and, very slowly, a hand landed on Virgil's shoulder. For a single moment, Virgil thought that it was Adam but then he was being pulled into a loose hug and he knew. Even if this person had never so much as touched Virgil, he would know Thomas anywhere.

"I'm sorry," Thomas whispered. His voice was as shaky and wet as Virgil's, maybe even more so. "I'm..." He trailed off and shifted Virgil so he was facing Thomas and pulled him back into a hug.

Virgil's arms remained at his sides but, when Thomas didn't let him go, he slowly relaxed into him.

Thomas tightened his hold on him slightly. "I can't erase what happened before... But... if you come back then I promise... I'll listen to you more. I can't say I'll always do what you want. But, I'll listen."

There was no response to Thomas' words but after for a few more moments, Virgil slowly let the wall that he had placed up between him and Thomas fall and Thomas let out a relieved breath as he felt Virgil's re-connect back to him.

"I'm staying with Pride," Virgil whispered. There was no question or argument in his words. Even though Virgil's tone was shaky, the decision was final. He wasn't leaving.

"But-"

"Okay," Thomas said softly. He squeezed Virgil one last time before pulling back and walking back to the Light Sides. Virgil turned, watching him go and getting a good look at the Light Sides at the same time.

Patton had tears streaking down his cheeks, staring at Virgil with large, guilt-filled eyes. Logan had his head turned, shadows hiding his face. But his hands were clenched and shaking, whether in guilt or anger, Virgil didn't know. And Roman... Roman had such a broken look on his face. It was like everything he knew had been laid at his feet and smashed into pieces. 

Thomas took hold of Patton and Roman's arms, Logan automatically and robotically taking hold as well. Virgil watched them sink out, letting out a breath that he hadn't even been aware that he had been holding. He turned and was immediately greeted by Adam holding out his arms for him with a soft smile. 

"Come here, my little lamb," Adam said softly, pride infused in every word. "My fierce little Dragon."

Virgil smiled at him shakily, walking forward and letting Adam hug him, hugging him back just as tightly. 

Adam kissed his temple and whispered, "I'm so proud of you. You spoke your mind so well, Darling. Come on, let's go inside and I'll make sure that tonight is quiet and calm. Does that sound good?"

"Yeah," Virgil said softly, pulling back and smiling at him. "That sounds good."

* * *

No one spoke in the Light Side's Commons, even though they were all - well, not all- of them were gathered. One of the only sounds were of Patton's shaky sobs. He was curled up in his favourite plushie armchair, a pillow held tight in his arms. Anxiety was gone and it was all his fault. He should've tried harder to include Anxiety, to stop Roman and Logan from insulting him so much. He should've done _something_.

The sounds of Logan's pencil scritching across a pad of paper joined Patton's sobs. Three sheets of paper were beside him always, full of possible solutions to this problem of their own creating. Most of them were crossed out. But Logan didn't know what else to do. Looking back at the past and wishing that it was different wouldn't do a thing. What they did now what was most important.

Roman was methodically polishing his katana, thoughts a million miles away. Insults that he had shot at Anxiety since the day the Anxious Side had form were bouncing around his head. But as much as Roman wanted to push away the past and look to the future, he couldn't. Not with the guilt eating at him. But he knew he would have to soon.

Because all three of them had the same thought in their heads. That they needed to fix this. _Somehow_.


End file.
